Lumpectomy

In a study that could provide reassurance to many breast cancer patients, researchers have confirmed that lumpectomy - in which only the tumor, rather than the entire breast, is removed - is as effective as mastectomy. But the research also found that many women who are eligible for the procedure do not get it. The findings come on the heels of a controversy over falsified data in an international breast cancer study that advocated lumpectomy in conjunction with radiation therapy. Experts hope the new results will comfort lumpectomy patients who wonder if they made the right choice.

When Dr. Patty Forsythe found out she had breast cancer she was sitting in her office at All Paws Animal Clinic in Wellington . "It's a scary thing when someone tells you, you have cancer. I just had a meltdown," the veterinarian said. "And the first thing that I thought of was that I'd have to have both of my breasts removed. " Luckily she didn't have to have them removed. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at 49 after an abnormality showed up on a routine exam.

According to Dr. Nathan Mayl, a Pompano Beach plastic surgeon, and the National Cancer Institute, there are three most-used reconstructive procedures: (BU) Reshaping the breast after lumpectomy is performed on an outpatient basis and involves implanting a filler into the chest cavity to rebuild the breast. Most of the breast, healthy chest muscle and skin must be there for this. (BU) Expander surgery, which is most frequent and more complicated than reconstruction after lumpectomy, involves implanting an "empty envelope" into the chest cavity and injecting it slowly with saltwater.

Maria Elena Manuel suspected something might be wrong when she felt the small lump in her left breast last November. But, without health insurance or money, she dismissed it. "It's probably nothing," she said to herself. Manuel, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, arrived in the United States from the Philippines only a few months before with plans to study at Broward Community College as a physical therapy assistant. By January, the lump had grown noticeably. A friend who worked at Broward General Medical Center told her about a program at the Women's Breast Cancer Center of Broward Health's Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Breast cancer patients who have a breast-sparing operation but forgo radiation therapy are putting their lives at risk, according to a study released Thursday that could change how medical scientists understand the disease. More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year. Doctors generally recommend post-operative radiation for any woman who has surgery that removes the tumor but leaves most of the breast, often called lumpectomy. They also recommend radiation for many patients who have mastectomy, or removal of the entire breast.

Removing a small portion of breast tissue is as effective as removing the entire breast in saving lives of women with breast cancer, according to two new studies being published today. Several leading breast surgeons said that the reports, which tracked 2,551 women for 20 years, further strengthened what many scientists had long been saying: that mastectomies are not required in the vast majority of cases of breast cancer. Smaller operations, such as lumpectomies, which remove only the cancer and surrounding tissue, are just as effective at stopping deaths and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

Dear Ann Landers: I am a 32-year-old female and thought I was in excellent health. Last April, I felt a small lump in my breast. I made an appointment for a breast exam. The doctor offered to do a mammogram, even though they are not usually recommended for women under 40 who have no history of breast cancer. The mammogram showed a small mass, so I went back for more tests. I was told I had a benign fibrocystic lump and not to worry, although the radiologist did suggest I see a surgeon about having the lump biopsied.

MANALAPAN -- More than 300 women who attended the American Cancer Society`s first local breast forum on Saturday were told not to trust a much publicized Canadian study said to suggest that mammography is dangerous in those under 50. The women also were told that too many mastectomies are being performed in South Florida and that in many cases simply removing the cancerous lump could produce successful results. Those were among the opinions of experts assembled at the Ritz Carlton Hotel during a session devoted to a disease that will kill more than 44,000 American women this year.

In 1992, more than 23,000 women in the United States learned they had tiny tumors in the milk ducts of their breasts that might, or might not, develop into invasive, life-threatening breast cancers. Almost half of them had breasts removed to avoid the chance of cancer. Some of these tumors might never become cancerous, researchers say, yet large numbers of women had mastectomies, the most radical treatment for any type of breast cancer. A more conservative treatment, chosen by slightly more than half the women was lumpectomy - the removal of a small lump of tissue - sometimes followed by radiation treatments.

WASHINGTON -- At least one-third and possibly half of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer could be candidates for breast-saving "lumpectomies" rather than breast removal because studies show that the two treatments produce nearly identical survival rates, three major health organizations said on Monday. While experts have recognized in recent years that results of both treatments are comparable, not enough physicians are offering the breast- sparing option to women with the disease, said the American Cancer Society, the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Radiology.

Take a look at these women. Beautiful, aren't they? But that's not the only thing they have in common. They've all had breast cancer, and for most that meant rounds of chemo and radiation and painful surgery that took one or both of their breasts. But the hard part is behind them. Here's where the fun begins. This month, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they're appearing in the Beauty and Bravery calendar, with its sales benefiting the American Cancer Society. They dressed up in vintage clothes and makeup and laughed their way through photo shoots to show other women - the estimated 178,000 who'll be diagnosed this year - that breast cancer isn't the end. Of anything.

Breast cancer patients who have a breast-sparing operation but forgo radiation therapy are putting their lives at risk, according to a study released Thursday that could change how medical scientists understand the disease. More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year. Doctors generally recommend post-operative radiation for any woman who has surgery that removes the tumor but leaves most of the breast, often called lumpectomy. They also recommend radiation for many patients who have mastectomy, or removal of the entire breast.

Removing a small portion of breast tissue is as effective as removing the entire breast in saving lives of women with breast cancer, according to two new studies being published today. Several leading breast surgeons said that the reports, which tracked 2,551 women for 20 years, further strengthened what many scientists had long been saying: that mastectomies are not required in the vast majority of cases of breast cancer. Smaller operations, such as lumpectomies, which remove only the cancer and surrounding tissue, are just as effective at stopping deaths and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

Coping with the aftereffects of breast-cancer surgery can be a debilitating experience. Some women can't raise their arms because of pain. Some develop persistent swelling in their arms and hands, a condition called lymphedema. Now a group of medical researchers is perfecting a procedure that will spare many women these problems. Results of a University of South Florida study of 62 women, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, and the work of other researchers, including Dr. David Owen of Delray Beach, will allow doctors to spare the lymph nodes in some women.

Dear Ann Landers: I am a 32-year-old female and thought I was in excellent health. Last April, I felt a small lump in my breast. I made an appointment for a breast exam. The doctor offered to do a mammogram, even though they are not usually recommended for women under 40 who have no history of breast cancer. The mammogram showed a small mass, so I went back for more tests. I was told I had a benign fibrocystic lump and not to worry, although the radiologist did suggest I see a surgeon about having the lump biopsied.

In 1992, more than 23,000 women in the United States learned they had tiny tumors in the milk ducts of their breasts that might, or might not, develop into invasive, life-threatening breast cancers. Almost half of them had breasts removed to avoid the chance of cancer. Some of these tumors might never become cancerous, researchers say, yet large numbers of women had mastectomies, the most radical treatment for any type of breast cancer. A more conservative treatment, chosen by slightly more than half the women was lumpectomy - the removal of a small lump of tissue - sometimes followed by radiation treatments.

Coping with the aftereffects of breast-cancer surgery can be a debilitating experience. Some women can't raise their arms because of pain. Some develop persistent swelling in their arms and hands, a condition called lymphedema. Now a group of medical researchers is perfecting a procedure that will spare many women these problems. Results of a University of South Florida study of 62 women, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, and the work of other researchers, including Dr. David Owen of Delray Beach, will allow doctors to spare the lymph nodes in some women.

So, you`re over 35, and you have reasons for not getting a mammogram. Maybe you worry about radiation. Or maybe you`ve heard that mammograms are not 100 percent accurate, even with the best equipment and the best doctors interpreting the films. Or maybe you saw Diane Sawyer`s Prime Time Live piece a few weeks ago that showed mammograms are sometimes misread by doctors. "Women are looking for excuses not to have a mammogram," says Dr. Phyllis Hochberg Neimark, a breast surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Fort Lauderdale, "and this is a case where a little bit of knowledge is a bad thing."

In a study that could provide reassurance to many breast cancer patients, researchers have confirmed that lumpectomy - in which only the tumor, rather than the entire breast, is removed - is as effective as mastectomy. But the research also found that many women who are eligible for the procedure do not get it. The findings come on the heels of a controversy over falsified data in an international breast cancer study that advocated lumpectomy in conjunction with radiation therapy. Experts hope the new results will comfort lumpectomy patients who wonder if they made the right choice.

WASHINGTON -- At least one-third and possibly half of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer could be candidates for breast-saving "lumpectomies" rather than breast removal because studies show that the two treatments produce nearly identical survival rates, three major health organizations said on Monday. While experts have recognized in recent years that results of both treatments are comparable, not enough physicians are offering the breast- sparing option to women with the disease, said the American Cancer Society, the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Radiology.